Open Carry, Concealed Carry, and My Safety

So, I am not against people owning guns that are reasonable. I do not think private citizens need assault weapons, however.

Think people should have to take gun safety courses before they can carry a gun, whether for hunting, skeet shooting, target practice or self protection.  Texas requires people to have a concealed hand gun license if you want to carry a concealed gun.

Texas just passed some laws about open carry, guns on college campuses, making both legal.

I know how I feel about this.

I think if people are carrying concealed weapons, they are probably doing so for protection. I dislike the carrying of concealed weapons, because we do not know who has a gun, and I guess we should act as if anyone around us could have a gun.

I know how I feel about open carry. There are those who are for it because they say you know what you are dealing with that way.  That is not so, because open carry does not require people with concealed guns to expose them.  It does, however, become a public statement about having a gun at the ready, to flourish and use, if their situation is to their disliking.

I think open carrying of weapons is what amounts to a threat, or a dare.  It declares the wearer ready to fight in a violent way.  I think Texas is going to see some horrible gun fights before someone gets smart and repeals the law.  Because we know that having a gun at the ready makes it that much more likely that someone will use it without thinking through the consequences and other options.

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/whataburger-takes-stand-against-texas-new-open-car/nmxf6/

So, do I like the announcement from Whataburger?  Yes.  So much so that I am going to go to Whataburger, a place I do not normally frequent, and tell them I am there just because I support their banning of open carry.

This is the other sad thing.  I did not use the term gun or firearms in the title. I wonder how many of you knew it pertained to guns and firearms, and not something else.  If you are from Texas, you probably did not think twice about what it referred to.